IKEA
by Mnemosymnal Elegy
Summary: A cute story about Berwald, Tino, and the founding of Ikea.  Has SuFin, and some DenNor, and a smidgen of PruCan.
1. Chapter 1

Remember Me

Song – Wie Weit by Apocalyptica

Chapter 1

Tino Väinämöinen was having a normal day. Get up, brush teeth, wash face, walk downstairs, eat, go to work. As he walked into the furniture store that he worked at, he greeted his boss, Halldor Thorstaad, a Norwegian. He got a nod in return, and headed behind the counter to wait for the arrival of customers. They didn't have to wait long. Soon, a few people wandered in, looking at some of the tables that were being displayed. Tino waited patiently in case they decided to make a purchase. After a while, they chose one of the tables. Tino rang them up, and they left after thanking him. It would probably be a while before others arrived, so he contented himself with reading a book that he had brought. He heard the familiar noises of Matthias, the furniture designer, flirting with Halldor, who insisted that he hated it, but in reality, Tino could tell that he really was fond of the Danish man. He smiled lightly, looking up slightly to find Geir looking at him. The Icelandic man was somehow related to Halldor, a half-brother or something like that. Tino jumped slightly at the violet eyes boring into his, and set his book down quickly.

"D-do you need something?" he stuttered quickly, twisting his hands. Geir nodded slowly, gesturing towards the back, where the warehouse was.

"Organizing." he said quietly and headed towards the warehouse. Tino sighed softly but followed obediently. He headed towards some large boxes in the back and started unpacking them, placing different furniture items in their correct locations.

After an hour or so of dusty work, he was called back to the counter to serve a customer. After waving them away with a smile, he returned to the warehouse to continue putting things away. There were no other customers, and he spent the rest of the day doing sweaty work. Once the day was finished, he waved goodbye to the rest of the staff, getting two nods and a cheery wave in return. He stepped outside into the cold wintry air and immediately shivered, tugging his jacket closer around himself. Tino started towards his house, passing skeletal trees and crunching through leaves. He stopped in the park to sit down for a while, admiring the winter landscape. Little swirls of wind stirred the fallen leaves, tossing them about like a child's playthings. Glancing around the park, Tino noticed lots of different people. Old women feeding pigeons, young children laughing and skipping, young couples kissing on benches... All of these only served to remind him of the fact that he was so very lonely. His parents had died many years ago in a tragic automobile accident, leaving him alone to fend for himself. Tino ran a hand through his fine blonde hair and sighed. He would love some company, someone to stay with him whenever he needed comforting. The closest people he had to friends were his coworkers, and even they weren't that sociable. Another sigh. It was starting to turn dark, birds swooping and diving overhead, trying to catch the last of the insects before they all headed to warmer places.

Tino turned towards the road, stopping at the crosswalk. His violet eyes glanced to see the crossing signal flash once before a red hand was displayed. He was about to relax and wait his turn, but before he could, he noticed something small and white trotting happily over the crosswalk. Not regarding the traffic, he sprinted over the striped paint and knelt next to the creature. It was a tiny puppy, and he cradled it carefully in his arms, not noticing the large cement truck hurtling towards him. He turned, eyes wide, to stare into the headlights, and suddenly, something large and heavy smashed into him. The last thing he saw before his head hit the pavement was a pair of bright cerulean eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: Hey there, this is otakucellist, your friendly neighbourhood Grammar Nazi. Really, I try to be a stickler to grammar, and it bugs me when I have bad grammar. If you find anything wrong, feel free to point it out! **

**Anyway, enjoy this story, and don't forget to R&R! Cheers! (P.S. Sorry for the short chapters...I just needed breaking points.**


	2. Chapter 2

Song – Anthem by Kamelot  
><span>Chapter 2<span>  
>When Tino finally opened his eyes, blinking sleep out of them, he heard the beeping of machines and saw some tubes nearby. A person in a white lab coat was looking down on him, red eyes staring into his own violet ones.<br>"He looks alright, vitals are all stable. Just a bit of a concussion, it's not too alarming." he announced, running a hand through his silvery hair. "Dr. Williams?" A young blonde doctor came running in, holding a bottle of medicine. The silver-haired one took it from him, handing the small bottle to Tino.  
>"This is for you. Pain reliever if you have any bad headaches. You'll probably expect some for the next few days, so don't be too worried." After announcing this, he turned back to the blonde. "So, Mattie, now that I've done my job, why don't you say we go and get something to eat?" The poor blonde man was stuttering and blushing violently, mumbling incoherent phrases that sounded like 'not allowed to...still working...busy...' but the albino led him out regardless, turning back to give Tino a small wink.<br>"Have some fun with your boyfriend, now, won't you?" was called to Tino as the albino ushered Dr. Williams out the door. Tino gave him a confused look. Boyfriend? What boyfriend? He barely even knew people well enough to be calling them 'friends'! He attempted to sit up, but his head throbbed beyond description and he soon gave up. He lay down, exhausted, and took one of the painkillers. He soon drifted into a dreamless sleep.

As soon as Tino woke, the first thing he noticed was a soft hand on his forehead, and brilliant azure eyes staring into his. The person started, and immediately pulled away, sitting on a chair close to the bed. Tino rubbed his eyes sleepily and turned his head to glance at the person next to him. He was tall, very obviously, and pretty scary looking. He had glasses perched on his nose and the ice blue eyes Tino had seen earlier. His hair was blonde and slightly spikey. However, he seemed to be embarrassed, as a pink blush was spreading across his face. This was obviously not someone Tino knew, and he was interested to who he was.

"Um...who are you, exactly, and what are you doing here?" he asked nervously, clasping his hands together.

"M' n'me 's B'rw'ld..." he muttered in a thick accent, running his hand through his hair.

"Berwald? That's a nice name! My name is Tino Väinämöinen, and I work at a furniture store! My best friends are there, and they're really nice. Maybe sometime I can take you there to meet them, haha. And I really-" Tino was babbling. That was a bad habit of his when he was nervous, and he certainly was now.

"B'rw'ld Ox'nsti'rn'."

"Oxenstierna? That's a nice name! I really like your name, and I also really like your eyes! They're so pretty and blue! Did anyone ever tell you that? You look really scary, but you seem to be really nice, too!" Tino exclaimed, wringing his hands all the while. Berwald blushed again, and it was then that Tino noticed the small white bundle that he was gently stroking. "Ooh! Is that the puppy that I saved? Can I hold him?" Berwald nodded once and handed the wriggling furball to him. Tino squealed happily, cradling the puppy in his arms. "I think we should name him. What do you think?" he asked, looking at Berwald, who looked embarrassed.

"I-if y' w'nt t'..." Berwald muttered, looking away. Tino shot him a blinding smile and hugged the jumpy dog closer.

"How about...Flower-Egg? 'Cause he's fluffy and pretty like a flower and white like an egg!" Tino explained proudly, holding the puppy an arms-length away. "Do you like that, boy?" The puppy barked happily and Tino laughed. "Great! Flower-Egg it is!"

Berwald watched the goings-on with a small smile on his face. His new 'friend' certainly was very energetic.


	3. Chapter 3

Remember Me

Song – Wings of a Butterfly by HIM

Chapter 3

Tino had long fallen asleep and Berwald was still there by his side, dozing every once in a while, but other than those few instances, he had been keeping a very strict watch over the younger man. When Dr. Williams slipped back in to check on him, Berwald had looked at him once and sent him scuttling from the room in fright.

Tino stirred slightly, moving towards the source of warmth near him. He opened his eyes blearily and blinked a few times, smiling as he saw Berwald's familiar features.

"You're still here? Don't you need to go home and get some rest?" Tino asked softly, reaching over and taking Berwald's hand. The larger man shook his head, his eyes determined.

"I w'nt y' to g't bett'r soon…g'nna st'y here w'th y'…" he murmured softly. Tino smiled at his gentle determination, but his happiness soon turned into worry.

"But, Berwald, you look really tired…I think you should sleep, at least for a little bit. Is that alright?" Tino pressed gently. "I'm pretty much better, so we can go back to my house, if you want. You can sleep in the guest bedroom for a night. It isn't much of a deal."

Berwald looked skeptical. "W'n't it be too m'ch tr'ble f'r y'?" he returned immediately. Tino shook his head quickly.

"Not at all! I would love to have you stay over! Come on, let's go, then!" he cheered happily, pulling himself out of bed. He snatched the small bottle of painkillers from the bedside table and grabbed his coat out of the chair, heading towards the exit. Glancing behind him, he saw Berwald gently holding a wriggling Flower-Egg and walking slowly towards the door. Tino smiled and walked out into the hallway, squinting in the bright light. He strode quickly towards the front counter where a bored-looking woman was leaning and examining her nails. She looked up slowly when he approached.

"Can I help you, hun?" she drawled slowly, giving her blood-red nails a last glance.

"Ah, yes! I'm Tino Väinämöinen, and I'm checking out." Tino said happily.

"Oh, you the kid that came in being carried by that scary guy behind you?" she asked slowly. "I thought he was going to kill every one of us with that look." She shuddered slightly in memory.

"H-he's not a bad person..." Tino stammered quickly, glancing up at Berwald. "He's just scary at times."

The receptionist looked at him skeptically, but pushed a clipboard towards him anyway. "Just sign here and you're free to go, sweetheart. Have a nice one." At that, she picked up a magazine lying on the counter and started flipping through it. Tino thanked her quickly and turned on his heel, grabbing Berwald's hand and heading towards the door. He missed the small blush that passed over Berwald's face at the contact and merely pulled him through the door.

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><p><strong>AN: So this is the third chapter. I'm currently writing the 5th, and will put up the fourth before too long. Everyone please R&R, I want to know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

Song – Kaamos by Apocalyptica

Chapter 4

Once they were through the door, Tino smiled jovially at Berwald before pulling him into a chair.

"We can go to my house for now and grab something to eat, if you'd like." he nodded towards Berwald.

Berwald looked steadily into his eyes for a few seconds before replying. "I d'n't m'nd." he returned quietly, standing. "Wh're 's it?"

Tino pointed towards a few short apartments rising in the distance. "Around that area; it's kinda small, I hope you don't mind…" he muttered, slightly embarrassed. Berwald shook his head slightly. They set off in that direction, sidestepping puddles of muddy water and fallen autumn leaves. The air was slightly chilly but not enough to bother either Berwald or Tino, who had both grown up in cold places and were therefore much more used to the cold temperatures. They walked for about 15 minutes before Tino pointed out a small, squat apartment complex.

"That one's mine." he announced, taking Berwald's hand and leading him up the steps. He fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, revealing a tidy and well-lit space.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Tino bowed slightly, giggling at his delivery. "Not the best place on earth, but it does what it's supposed to do, and I suppose that's enough for someone like me. Why don't you sit down and let me get you something to eat? I can make something quickly, if you'd like." Tino rambled on, scrambling through the kitchen and snatching ingredients off well-stocked shelves. "It's just a macaroni casserole, as long as you're not vegetarian." With this last statement, he glanced at Berwald, who shook his head slowly, his exhaustion starting to get the best of him. Tino nodded slightly and started up the stove, unpacking the macaroni and taking out the meat. He only glanced backward when he heard a small thump and saw that Berwald had fallen asleep on the table. With a small smile, he tossed the ground meat into the pan and began cooking it, stirring in a few spices. He later added the macaroni and the cheese, adding only a pinch of salt. Once it had been seasoned to taste, he doled it out into a small bowl for himself and made a mental note to save some for Berwald when he awoke.

Pouring himself a cup of hot water and snatching up his bowl of macaroni, he strolled over to his couch and sat down, cross-legged, and began to read a small novel of his.

Before too long, Berwald awoke and joined him on the sofa. They ate in silence for a while before Tino decided that he should know more about his rescuer.

"So, Berwald…what do you do for a living? Do you live around here?" Tino asked cautiously, glancing shyly up at the giant.

"'M a d's'gner. M'ke f'rn'ture." He mumbled after chewing his food carefully. "L've 'n an 'p'rtm'nt n'r th' p'rk." Tino smiled at this information.

"Where do you work? Maybe I've hear of it before." Tino murmured, the last statement half to himself and half not.

Berwald studied the ceiling for a few moments before answering. "N'wh'r' f'r n'w…n' 'ne n''ds a f'rn'ture d's'gner f'r m'ch." He glanced at Tino in the hopes that he didn't say anything too awful.

Tino's response was a huge grin. "Maybe you can work with me! We work at a small furniture store, me and my other three coworkers. I don't think it would be a huge problem, and Mathias, our furniture designer, would probably love to have someone to work with! Would you like me to go and ask him tomorrow?" Tino asked happily.

Berwald smiled timidly. "S're….'f it's n' pr'bl'm…" he flushed lightly and turned his head away, shoving another spoonful of casserole in his mouth.

"It's no problem at all!" Tino chirped, standing up to put his dishes in the sink.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for everyone who has reviewed! Remember, reviews keep this story alive! Continue to R&R!**


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